There is a missing ingredient in most of the Essiac being produced in today's world.  It is Sheep sorrel roots. Although Sheep sorrel herb (Rumex acetosella) is a standard ingredient in almost all Essiac (ess-ee-ac), it's almost always just the stems, flowers and leaves - the aerial parts - but not the roots. Blue Moon Herbs goes the extra mile to provide Essiac tea that includes Sheep sorrel roots, like its developer and namesake, Canadian nurse Rene Caisse's did.

According to Rene Caisse (pronounced Reen Case), leaving out the Sheep sorrel root is leaving out the most important ingredient.

Sheep sorrel roots are not generally commercially available, and that presents a challenge for companies trying to mass-produce Essiac. It is very costly to pay someone to grow it on a large scale - or even on a medium scale - because it is not a common crop and is labor-intensive to harvest, which makes it even a bigger deal to grow it yourself as a company selling Essiac. We are involved in growing Sheep sorrel for the roots for our Essiac, but we source most of the rest of the herbs from certified organic growers in our home region here in the Inland Pacific Northwest US.

We are pleased to offer pre-mixed, ready to brew Essiac herbs as well as the seeds to grow them and the utensils to brew them.  We also offer three of the most current, informative and factual accounts of Essiac and Rene Caisse: The Essiac Essentials Handbook (Mali Klein, 2016, Softcover, 81 pages), Black Root Medicine The Original Native American Essiac Formula (Mali Klein, 2014, Softcover, 54 pages), and the final installment, The Complete Essiac Essentials Centennial Edition 1922-2022 (Sheila Snow and Mali Klein, 2021, Softcover, 207 pages). This final edition is put together flawlessly and has been impeccably researched. It has more color pictures than any of the previous Snow/Klein books,  and is really special in so many ways. Mali Klein presents compelling conclusions based on her lifetime of researching Essiac. She sets the record straight on what really happened when the story of Essiac and Rene Caisse was still unfolding.  These books represent the most objective, unbiased account of Essiac available. Mali Klein has written these books so all can learn about this herbal decoction that has been around for at least 130 years and its value to this time and in the future, for our well-being.  

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About the Essiac formula

The original Native American formula is an 8-herb combination, but Rene Caisse refined it to four herbs in the 1920s and subsequently primarily used four herbs as her basic formula for the rest of her life. There are many different versions of 8-herb Essiac being sold today, but none of the 8-herb formulas being sold contain the correct eight herbs.  They generally have six of them right. However, Rene Caisse is not known to have ever used blessed thistle or kelp in Essiac. Archival evidence suggests that the original 8 herbs were: Burdock (Arctium Lappa), Sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), Slippery elm (Ulmus Rubra), Turkey rhubarb (Rheum palmatum), Red clover (Trifolium pratense), Watercress (Rorippa nasturtium aquaticum), Periwinkle (Vinca major/minor), and Goldthread (Coptis trifolia).

Nurse Caisse did work with other herbs besides the four in the classic Essiac formula, including some of the original 8 herbs.  She patented a kidney remedy, and made a salve for radiation burns, and those formulae are included in The Complete Essiac Essentials book (Sheila Snow/Mali Klein, 2010, Softcover, 135 pages).  The classic four-herb formula was made public 16 years after Rene Caisse's death when her long-time friend and helper Mary McPherson filed an affidavit with the Bracebridge Ontario Town Clerk.    

The Snow/Klein collaboration. 

We hang our hat on the work of Sheila Snow and Mali Klein, who have collectively written eight books on Rene Caisse and Essiac. In addition to the three most recent ones mentioned above, are The Complete Essiac Essentials (Snow/Klein, March 2011, Softcover, 181 pages), The Essiac Book (Klein, 2006, Softcover, 128 pages), Essiac the Secrets of Rene Caisse's Herbal Pharmacy (Snow/Klein, 2001, Softcover, 180 pages), Essiac Essentials (Snow/Klein, 1999, Softcover, 135 pages), and The Essence of Essiac (Snow, 1993, Softcover, 136 ;

pages).  These books represent the gold standard in Essiac reference books, and stand alone in their class. The straight story, from the ultimate source - Rene Caisse's closest friends and helpers. The work of Snow and Klein makes up the majority - over half of the books printed on Essiac! 

The source.  Rene Caisse and Mary McPherson. 

Sheila Snow and Mali Klein knew the wisdom in 'going to the source' when looking for those little answers that inform much bigger questions. Sheila's personal acquaintance with Rene Caisse was invaluable in this regard.  Rene's long-time friend and helper, Mary McPherson, also worked directly with Sheila and Mali over the course of more than ten years.  She helped immensely in giving insight into what made Rene tick. When Mary passed away in 2006, she bequeathed some very special Essiac treasures to Sheila. Sheila, who passed away in 2008, had amassed quite a collection of Essiac history, all of which Mali has now inherited.  Material from the Sheila Snow Fraser Essiac Archive Collection is included in the books, and the entire collection is now available online.

Sheila Snow.

It is Sheila who discovered the documentation  proving the importance of sheep sorrel roots in the Essiac formula.  The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center gave her copies of Rene's correspondence with Dr. Chester Stock during the 1970s when MSK was researching Essiac. (The research had promising preliminary results, but there were several issues which resulted in inconclusive findings.)

Mali Klein. 

Mali, in addition to contributing her literary genius, has also given - and continues to give - further service on behalf of Essiac.  She established the Clouds Trust, a registered Essiac charity in England that has now been in operation for nearly 20 years, legally providing Essiac tea, sheep sorrel roots included, to any British citizen who wishes to have access to it.

Since the 1990s Mali has been growing and experimenting with the Essiac herbs.  If it were not for Mali, the world would not have Essiac reference books with no comparison.  Her dedication to excellence in whatever she has chosen to undertake has ensured that a factual account of Rene Caisse and Essiac has been preserved  - and perhaps that the importance of the original 8-herb formula will receive another look as the latest research findings on some of the original herbs reveal their value in reversing and preventing cancer. Blue Moon Herbs/Rene Caisse Tea is doing its part by replicating Rene Caisse's Essiac formula, to the last detail, and by being a trusted online source of Essiac information and history. We are committed to keeping Essiac available and affordable for anyone who wishes to take it.

"We all have the right to benefit from Essiac because no one can stop us making it, no one can stop us taking it and no one can stop us deciding how and when we're going to do it." - Mali Klein, The Essiac Book

Rene Caisse meant for Essiac to contain the whole Sheep sorrel plant, especially the roots, and we are spreading the word! We owe it to the future to hang on to a few of the useful things people knew before their time, like Nurse Rene Caisse.  She had quite an uphill battle against the political and medical establishment as a woman and a nurse in the 1930s and all the way until her death in 1978 at age 90.

There are many valuable things yet to be rediscovered about herbs and their role in our health and well-being. Essiac looks after itself. Thanks to the Native American Medicine man who started the formula on its journey through time and Rene Caisse, into today.